Joanna Lisanti: Last News

The widow of Alan Merrill, who died at age 69 on Sunday in New York City due to complications from the coronavirus, shared her harrowing experience of trying to get him treatment within the city’s overstretched health care system. Merrill was best known for co-writing the Joan Jett hit song “I Love Rock and Roll.” His daughter Laura Merrill announced his death on her Facebook account where she noted that she was only given “2 minutes to say my goodbyes before I was rushed out.” On Tuesday, she posted a lengthy note from her stepmother, Joanna Lisanti, in which she detailed Alan's death from the moment he got sick and what she believes was an unnecessary struggle to get him treatment.

Alan Merrill, co-writer and singer of the original version of "I Love Rock 'N' Roll," died over the weekend at age 69 from COVID-19. After the news broke, Merrill's wife Joanna Lisanti took to Facebook to share the devastating details of the events leading up to his death at an NYC hospital, shedding light on how our health care system is struggling with a lack of resources and preparation for a pandemic this large. "About 2 weeks ago, Alan felt like he was getting a cold and then the flu. I was immediately suspicious, and of course Alan being Alan, he told me I was getting